An Unguarded Fort, and Neighbors Who See a Risk

Protesters also chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, we say safety, they say no!”

New York Times

March 22, 2009
Fort Totten
An Unguarded Fort, and Neighbors Who See a Risk
By JAMES ANGELOS

FORT TOTTEN in Bayside, Queens, sits atop a hilly peninsula near the Throgs Neck Bridge, where the waters of the East River meet Long Island Sound. The fort was built during the Civil War to guard the city against attack from the East River, but it closed in 1995, and since then, much of the land, along with many of its dilapidated Victorian buildings, has been handed over to the city.

A park now covers 50 acres of Fort Totten, and the Fire and Police Departments, as well as the Army Reserve 77th Regional Readiness Command and other groups, use some of the buildings on the remaining 100 or so acres.

Since the fort closed, the Fire Department has been in charge of security there, hiring private guards to patrol the fort and to staff a security booth at its entrance. But in February, the fort’s neighbors learned that the department would eliminate that security detail starting March 1, citing budget cuts.

The move has unleashed local fears that the park and its historic buildings, some of them abandoned, will be vulnerable to vandalism, arson and other crimes. Earlier this month, a few dozen residents held a rally at the fort’s entrance, chanting, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, we say safety, they say no!”

At one point, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. spoke on a megaphone.

“During the toughest economic times,” Mr. Vallone said, “that’s when you have to keep the community and the people the safest.”

A group of security guards who had worked at the fort watched the protest.

“There will be a lot of chaos,” predicted one guard, Alexander Bolotinskiy, as he watched a car pass the empty security booth, where the sign still read, “Please Stop and Show ID.”

Steve Ritea, a Fire Department spokesman, said the change was part of a wider cut in security expenditures that would save nearly $1.2 million annually.

The Police Department, Mr. Ritea added, will continue to include the fort in its patrols. Fire marshals stationed at the fort will also provide an element of safety, he said.

But some residents are not placated. Among them is Carol Marian, president of the Bayside Historical Society, which is housed in the fort.

“This park is not a normal park,” Ms. Marian said, pointing out the many old buildings. “We have hidden corners where people can lurk.”

Bayside activists protest lack of security at Fort Totten

Rally organizer Warren Schreiber talks with a fellow Bay Terrace resident Rosemarie Brennan at a rally outside of the gates of Fort Totten in Bayside. Photo by Christina Santucci

Times Ledger

Bayside activists protest lack of security at Fort Totten

By Christina Santucci and Stephen Stirling
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 4:37 PM EDT

Dozens of residents and community leaders descended on the security gates at Fort Totten Saturday morning to protest the recent termination of private security services in the historic park — a move they say could lead to a spike in crime in the area.

For the past two years, the FDNY has spent $650,000 annually to provide a 24−hour security detail for the fort. Due to budget cuts across the city, however, the FDNY recently announced it would not hire a private security firm to guard the area and instead turned over control of the fort to the 109th Precinct March 1. The 109th, which is based in Flushing, covers the adjacent Bay Terrace neighborhood.

The decision has not sat well with a number of residents and civic groups in the area, however, who contend the FDNY gave little notice of the decision and could unintentionally create a hotbed for crime that could spill into the surrounding communities.

“Shame on the FDNY,” said Kim O’Hanion, Parks Committee chairwoman of Community Board 7. “What they’re doing here is totally unacceptable.”

Though several of the buildings at Fort Totten are occupied by law enforcement agencies, some buildings have been long abandoned and fallen into disrepair.

Warren Schreiber, president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, said without security these abandoned buildings could become havens for vandals and vagrants who could commit serious crimes or start fires in the structures.

About half a dozen guards from PD Security in Bellerose lost their jobs at Fort Totten. Mandouh Elzab of Richmond Hill, who had been working at Fort Totten for about six years said that two to three weeks ago, at about 2 a,m. a man came to the guard station needing medical attention.

“He was in very bad condition. I called the ambulance and stayed with him. If nobody is here, who is going to help this guy?” Elzab asked.

Protesters also said they were miffed by the last−minute warning the FDNY gave before making the decision to halt security at the fort.

“They should have come to us, the parties that are interested and affected, and let us know and have a say,” Schreiber said. “There have to be ways to solve this situation. But they gave us no warning.”

Community Affairs Detective Kevin O’Donnell of the 109th Precinct recently told TimesLedger Newspapers that the precinct would patrol the area, but not provide a constant security detail.

“If [the FDNY] drops security, it would just become part of the regular patrol of that area,” he said. “We don’t do security, we patrol neighborhoods.”

The fort, bounded by the Long Island Sound and Cross Island Parkway, is also home to an Army National Guard unit, an NYPD K−9 unit, an emergency services unit, an EMS academy and the auxiliary Coast Guard.

Schreiber, who has been leading the fight against the cutbacks, said it is unbelievable there are so many law enforcement agencies present at the fort, yet no one manning the front gate on a regular basis.

“We feel they betrayed the community,” Schreiber said. “They made an agreement to provide security here. All we’re asking for is the status quo. We’re not asking for them to reinvent the wheel.”

Rally to Protect Fort Totten

PROTEST RALLY

*IMPORTANT RALLY*

PROTECT THE FORT!

ORGANIZED BY

BAY TERRACE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE

&

FRIENDS OF FORT TOTTEN PARKS

DATE: SAT., MARCH 7, 2009 AT 11:00 AM

PLACE: FORT TOTTEN FRONT GATE

CROSS ISLAND PKWY @ 212TH ST.

GUARD SERVICE IS GOING TO BE REMOVED FROM THE ENTRANCE TO FORT TOTTEN PARK DUE TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG’S BUDGET CUTS!

THE INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR VANDALISM, ARSON & BURGLARY OF HISTORIC

BUILDINGS AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THE SECURITY OF OUR

HOMES AND COMMUNITY ARE SERIOUSLY AT RISK!

JOIN US IN PROTECTING THE FORT

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

rally-flyer

Soaring charges hit condo, co-op owners

Bay Terrace Gardens

Crain’s New York

Soaring charges hit condo, co-op owners

Worse lies ahead as income from flip taxes and retail units ebbs just as defaults rise

By Amanda Fung

Published: February 22, 2009 – 5:59 am

Residents of a 54-unit Upper East Side co-op got the bad news last month—despite the board’s intense efforts to trim expenses, maintenance fees are rising 15%, nearly double last year’s hike. “People are furious,” says Steven Sladkus, president of the co-op board and a partner at law firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz. “Some of them have lost their jobs.”

It’s an increasingly common problem. Even as the city’s economy sinks, maintenance fees and common charges for co-ops and condos, respectively, are rising at the highest rates in years. Co-op managers blame soaring expenses, primarily property taxes.

And things could get much worse. Income derived from renting retail space and levying charges on unit sales is plummeting, and the number of owners defaulting is starting to rise.

Monthly fees at co-ops are going up at more than double the rate of recent years. Though steeply falling fuel costs have given buildings some relief, most boards cite drastic hikes in real estate taxes. Condo common charges are rising less dramatically, because such taxes are not included.

Fees have spiked 7% to 12% at the 300 Manhattan co-ops and condos managed by Cooper Square Realty, according to Chief Executive David Kuperberg. That compares with traditional average increases of 3% to 5%. Similarly, Halstead Property Management says the co-ops it operates are getting hikes of 8% to 14%, double historical rates.

At Lincoln Towers, an eight-building complex on the Upper West Side, owners are writing maintenance checks that are 4% to 13% higher than in 2008.

“This is by far the largest general increase we’ve had since 1987, when we became a co-op,” says Andrew Cooper, president of Residence Resource, which manages Lincoln Towers. “This is happening citywide.”

The squeeze has just begun at co-ops and condos where rental income from retail and office space is important. Ground-floor retail leases are major sources of revenue for many residential properties. For instance, such space in a building on Madison Avenue in the East 80s can fetch at least $300 a square foot. Retail rents can bring in millions of dollars, according to Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s retail leasing and sales division.

The retail vacancy rate in Manhattan residential buildings is running at nearly 18%—triple that of 2008, Ms. Consolo says. “There is a lot of competitive space out there,” she adds. “Retailers have been victims of the recession.”

With declines in sales prices and transactions, co-ops that still look for income from flip taxes are feeling the pinch. Deal volume was down 23% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, according to appraisal firm Miller Samuel. The building typically makes 3% to 5% of the unit sales price.

At the market’s mercy

“Co-ops are at the mercy of the market,” says Eric Goidel, senior partner at law firm Borah Goldstein Altschuler Nahins & Goidel.

Condo buildings, which have less stringent financial requirements for initial purchase than co-ops do, face another threat. As owners lose their jobs or their bonuses, they quit paying common charges. And in the deteriorating real estate market, developers are increasingly left paying common charges for unsold units—a burden that could push some of them into bankruptcy.

“If developers default, everyone else will eventually have to pick up the balance,” says Jeff Reich, a partner at Wolf Haldenstein.

Meanwhile, operating costs—including water, sewage and labor—continue escalating. Many co-op managers point to real estate taxes for the hefty maintenance fee spikes. To help fill the city’s $4 billion budget gap, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council recently boosted property taxes 7%.

“The city hit owners at a very bad time,” Mr. Kuperberg says. “Values of homes are decreasing, and people are struggling to pay their mortgage.”

Some condo owners claim that developers misrepresent operating expenses to attract buyers. Other estimates may be made in good faith but are outdated in a short time. One new Madison Avenue condo was forced to raise common charges 25% this year, according to Mr. Reich.

“It’s a perfect storm,” he says. “Expenses are increasing, and people who [relied on financing] for an obscene amount of the price of their condos are seeing values decline.”

Cops: Queens Man Fatally Stabs Wife, Hangs Self at Baybridge Condominium Estates

1010 WINS

Cops: Queens Man Fatally Stabs Wife, Hangs Self

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Queens couple was found dead Sunday in what police believe was a murder-suicide.

The woman, 57, had been stabbed to death inside the couple’s home at the upscale Baybridge Condominium Estates in the Bayside neighborhood, police said.

The man, 64, hanged himself from the second floor balcony of the home, 1010 WINS’ Sonia Rincon reported.

They were discovered by their adult son.

Neighbors said they were a quiet couple and couldn’t imagine why the man would have turned violent.

Hot Dog!

Interstate Bakeries opts to keep Jamaica factory running, retaining hundreds of jobs

Crain’s New York

Hot dogs won’t lack buns in Queens

By Hilary Potkewitz

Published: February 22, 2009 – 5:59 am

Residents of Jamaica, Queens, can sleep soundly. Their buns are staying in the oven.

After emerging from bankruptcy early this month, Interstate Bakeries Corp. wasted no time in trumpeting the glad tidings: Its Jamaica factory, the city’s largest maker of hot dog rolls, will remain open. The century-old plant on 268th Street and Douglas Avenue has about 350 full-time and more than 100 part-time workers. Its products are made under the Wonder Bread and Nature’s Pride labels.

“This was extraordinary news for us,” says Richard Werber, director of the business services group at the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. “We want to hold on to those manufacturing companies, because generally speaking, their jobs pay far better than retail jobs and provide a clearer and higher ladder for advancement.”

About 70% of the plant’s employees live in Queens, according to GJDC data. Kansas City-based Interstate filed for Chapter 11 in 2004. It has closed several facilities in the Midwest, eliminating hundreds of jobs.

Though the Jamaica plant isn’t Interstate’s most advanced facility, New York is one of the company’s largest markets, so keeping production here made sense, according to Interstate.

As a bonus, New York ranks No. 1 in the nation’s top 10 hot dog-eating cities, buying about $113 million worth of franks a year, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council’s most recent survey. That’s not surprising, given the Big Apple’s multiple sports arenas, Coney Island’s Nathan’s Famous and an army of street vendors.

Queens also has bragging rights in that Shea Stadium beat out other Major League Baseball venues in the all-important hot dog sales standings, the council says. Mets fans ate more than 2 million dogs—with buns—last season, barely six miles from Interstate Bakeries’ cargo bay.

Relay to Fight Cancer

Relay For Life at Fort Totten

Queens Courier

BY VICTOR G. MIMONI

Thursday, February 19, 2009 6:08 PM EST
There’s a party on Bell Boulevard in Bayside, but it’s serious.

It’s a complimentary informational kick-off party, at the Outback Steakhouse, to spread the word for the American Cancer Society (ACS) 5th annual “Relay For Life,” scheduled for this June, at Fort Totten.

The Kick-Off Party will be held on Tuesday, February 24, from 8 to 10 p.m. at the steakhouse located at 23-48 Bell Boulevard, said event chair Stephanie Perger.

The overnight campaign will take place on Saturday, June 6 through Sunday, June 7, on the parade grounds of the historic fort, much of which is now a park and Fire Department facilities.

“We invite you to make a difference and help us provide hope to patients, families and friends coping with cancer,” Perger.

The event committee has been holding monthly meetings at the Chabad Jewish Community Center at 26-06 213th Street in Bayside. Their next meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 5.

“All are welcome – bring a friend,” Perger said, adding two requests: “Please enter through the back door and please, no food or drinks.” She pointed out that at the party however, “Food and refreshments will be served.”

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the disease affects more than 8.9 million people nationwide – more than 1.2 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and a projected 555,500 will die from it this year, they say.

“Relay for Life brings the community together to remember those who have lost their battle with cancer, honor those who have won their battle and encourage those still in the battle,” Perger explained.

The idea was conceived in 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma, Washington surgeon who wanted to boost his local ACS office.

He spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma for more than 83 miles. Throughout the night, friends paid $25 to run or walk 30 minutes with him.

He raised $27,000.

While he was circling the track, Klatt envisioned the team-relay event – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Millions have joined the cause all over the world, making Relay For Life the largest fundraising event ever, according to the ACS.

Perger pointed out that party seating is limited, and asks those planning to attend to R.S.V.P. by noon on Monday, February 23. Call John Link at the American Cancer Society, 718-263-2225, Ext. 5538 or via e-mail at john.link@cancer.org.

“If you can’t attend the party but would like additional information, please let us know,” she said.

For more information, you can also visit www.relayforlife.org/forttottenNY.

Fort Totten Gate Security: An Ever Changing Story

A protest rally still remains a very real possibility.

At a meeting held on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, Fire Department Chiefs and Unit Heads decided to completely eliminate gate security at Fort Totten. This is contrary to earlier reports from official FDNY sources that the security would be provided by light duty fire fighters.

At this time attempts are being made to obtain copies of the conveyance agreement, which some interested parties believe call for FDNY to maintain gate security. As expected, FDNY is reluctant to make the documents available for review. Efforts are underway to obtain the documentation elsewhere.

A protest rally still remains a very real possibility.

BLOOMBERG TO FORT TOTTEN & BAY TERRACE: DROP DEAD

Fort Totten Gate Security – Update

According to reliable sources, the FDNY has decided that terminating Fort Totten gate security is a bad idea. Light duty firefighters will continue to protect the Fort’s front gate. Fire marshals will share some of the responsibility.

BLOOMBERG TO FORT TOTTEN & BAY TERRACE: DROP DEAD

Welcome to Water World

A scene from the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." The mayor warned that New York will become more prone to flooding in the coming decades.

New York only to get hotter, rainier and more flood-prone, say scientists

NY Daily News

BY Adam Lisberg
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

Tuesday, February 17th 2009, 4:10 PM
Fox/AP

A scene from the movie, “The Day After Tomorrow.” The mayor warned that New York will become more prone to flooding in the coming decades.

New York will be hotter, rainier and more likely to flood in the coming decades – with sea levels possibly rising more than four feet, a panel of scientists said Tuesday –

“All of the evidence from the science community is that the seas are going to rise,” said Mayor Bloomberg as he unveiled the panel’s report.

“It’s pretty hard to not understand something’s going on, very worrisome and scary, on this planet.

“The planet is changing, and we have to do what we can to make sure we can accommodate it,” he added. “Did we, 10 years ago, think about water rising?

“Only a few people talked about it, and it was considered a communist plot. So by that standard, I suppose we have made some progress.”

Academic experts and insurance executives on the panel concluded that average temperatures could rise up to 7.5 degrees by 2080, rainfall could increase by 10% and sea levels will rise two feet.

Some studies predict the polar ice caps will melt much more quickly, which could raise New York’s sea level by 55 inches by the 2080s – more than 4-1/2 feet.

That likely means heavier and more frequent flooding from rainstorms and coastal flooding, the panel conluded, as well as heavier demands on all city infrastructure from electric power to sewers.

Weather experts say New York is due for a hurricane, and the city’s Office of Emergency Management has drawn up evacuation plans that assume huge swaths of lower Manhattan and low-lying areas of the outer boroughs will be underwater during a moderate hurricane.

“The city’s 14 wastewater treatment plants are particularly vulnerable,” said Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Steve Lawitts.

“Seawalls will be elevated where possible to protect the plants from flooding.”

Bloomberg announced the panel’s findings at a sewage treatment plant in Far Rockaway, Queens, that sits on the water’s edge and is vulnerable to flooding.

Plan superintendent Frank Esposito showed the mayor and top city officials the plant’s eight pump motors at the bottom of a deep concrete pit, where they could be inundated in a heavy storm.

The agency plans to raise them 40 feet sometime in the coming years, at a cost of $30 million.

Many of the agency’s other long-term plans will take decades to plan, city officials said, with a cost still being tallied.

“Each of these projects costs money,” Bloomberg said. “Just to raise the motors that you saw downstairs, that’s a $30 million project. But the number of things at every one of these wastewater treatment plants is significant.”

BLOOMBERG TO FORT TOTTEN & BAY TERRACE: DROP DEAD

Effective March 1, Fort Totten will no longer have gate security.

BLOOMBERG TO FORT TOTTEN & BAY TERRACE: DROP DEAD

Gate security at Fort Totten will be discontinued on Sunday, March 1, 2009. Fire Commissioner Scoppetta is taking this action in response to the Mayor’s recently announced budget cuts. Termination of the security contract will threaten Fort Totten and the surrounding community.

Both FDNY and NYPD house units on Fort Totten which have high security needs. To go into detail would be irresponsible but suffice it to say that these units deal with matters pertaining to terrorism and criminal investigation.

Without security there will be burglary and vandalism concerns at night. In addition, the abandoned old buildings, many of which are part of the Historic Monument Trust, would be prime targets for arson once it gets dark. Night time criminal activity in the Fort will spill over into Bay Terrace.

Completely removing security guards from Fort Totten’s front gate is ill-advised and will eventually cost the city more in terms of increased vandalism, burglary, arson, crimes involving violence and police services. This action poses a real threat to the safety of our community.

Bloomberg has now told us to drop dead. The Bay Terrace Cafe will send him the same good wishes when election day rolls around.

Cablevision Blocks Verizon FIOS From Carrying MSNBC

This may interest anyone who is planning to become a Verizon FIOS customer.

Inside Cable News

Cablevision holds an exclusive carriage agreement with MSNBC. All other potential MSNBC providers, like Verizon, are therefore frozen out in areas where Cablevision operates. It is not known how or why Cablevision got an exclusive carriage deal for MSNBC but not other NBCU properties or why NBCU would even grant Cablevision an exclusive on MSNBC and MSNBC alone. This is a real head scratcher. Lots of unanswered questions. How long does Cablevision have the exclusive? Why did this happen? The bottom line is if you want MSNBC on Verizon FiOS in any area Cablevision operates, you’re out of luck.

As of this date the agreement is still in effect and applies even if you’re in an area being served by Time Warner.

19th Council District: Throw Another Hat in the Ring

Tom Cooke

The race for City Council in the 19th CD is really heating up. Tom Cooke will be officially adding his name to an already crowded field of qualified candidates. He joins Jerry Iannece, Paul Vallone, Steve Behar & Debra Markell who are all seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by Tony Avella. John Frank is also expected to soon announce his entry into what promises to be an interesting contest.

As of this date there are no declared Republicans. This is one district in which Republicans have consistently been able to run competitive races.

Mexico City Mayor hands out free Viagra to elderly men – Bloomberg Gives Us Trees

Is This Tree on a Viagra Regimen?

Mexico City Mayor hands out free Viagra to elderly men. Michael Bloomberg gives New Yorkers trees. It doesn’t require much effort to make the analogy.
NY Daily News
BY Catey Hill
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, February 13th 2009, 12:10 PM

The government is handing out free Viagra to poor men, the New York Times reported.

If you are 60 and over, poor, and need a little extra excitement in your love life, Mexico City just might be the place to be.

“Everyone has the right to be happy,” Mexico City’s mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, told the New York Times.

The New York Times also reported:

Ebrard is up for re-election in July, and this little Viagra move might just help him get re-elected.

Ebrard not only is giving out Viagra, he’s also dumping sand at public pools to create beaches and turning major roads into bike paths on Sundays.  He’s staged a “kiss-in” on Valentine’s Day to increase awareness of domestic violence.  He’s built the largest skating rink in the world.

But it’s the Viagra that has many men excited.

“Now, I’m able to fulfill my wife,” Mr. Posadas, a grandfather of six, told the paper.

Angel Posadas Sandoval, 74, was a little more vague, but still got his point across by telling the paper, “things have changed.”

He added, “I’ll enjoy whatever time I have left.”

Your Doctor Wanted You to Smoke

In 1946 This Doctor Wanted You To Smoke

Yes, there was a time when doctors and athletes were paid by tobacco companies to promote smoking.

Time has created a photo gallery of vintage pro-smoking advertisements.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

CELEBRATION TO COMMEMORATE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DUTCH ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK HARBOR

Dutch vessel 'Halve Maen'

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES YEARLONG CELEBRATION TO COMMEMORATE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DUTCH ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK HARBOR

NYC400 Week is September 8 – 13, 2009

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen, Dutch Cabinet Minister Frans Timmermans and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta today announced a year of special events, exhibits, outdoor activities and performances to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Henry Hudson aboard the Dutch vessel ‘Halve Maen’ to New York City. City officials also announced that the celebration of the City’s Dutch roots and its waterfront will culminate with a special Harbor Day on September 13. Further, the Mayor unveiled a model of the New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion, a gift presented by The Netherlands Government to New York City, designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, Amsterdam. The 5,000 square-foot Plein & Pavilion, a tribute to 400 years of friendship, will be permanently erected at the Battery in late 2009.

Dutch vessel 'Halve Maen'

“We are proud to celebrate this momentous anniversary and the significance of the Dutch in both the rich history and vibrant future of New York City,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We are pleased to observe the many similarities we share with our Dutch friends, including a strong sense of optimism and tolerance, and a great appreciation for diversity, design and innovation. All of these celebrations will give people one more reason to visit New York City this year. Tourism is going to be one of those industries that helps support our local economy during the recession, and we are working harder than ever to promote it.”

“A lasting gift from the Netherlands to New York City, the striking Pavilion which will be poignantly located at the Battery, will serve as a permanent reminder of this meaningful anniversary and significant moment in history,” said Frans Timmermans. “Furthermore, the Pavilion, designed by leading Dutch architect Ben van Berkel, will symbolize the deep-rooted ties between the Dutch and New York City, as we look forward to another 400 years of friendship.”

Dutch vessel ‘Halve Maen’

Dutch vessel ‘Halve Maen’

Speeding Kills, and 39 Percent of New York Drivers Are Doing It

NY Daily News

TERMINAL VELOCITY REPORT

Drivers speed across city with tragic results, new study finds

BY Pete Donohue
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, February 12th 2009, 2:21 AM

Speed kills, and drivers are ignoring the limit at an alarming rate, a study obtained by the Daily News reveals.

Nearly 40% of drivers ignore the 30-mph city street limit, says the Transportation Alternatives study, “Terminal Velocity, New York City’s Speeding Epidemic.”

“While driving 40 mph might not feel fast to a driver, it all but assures that a crash will be fatal to a pedestrian,” said Wiley Norvell, spokesman for the bicyclist and pedestrian safety advocacy group.

Using a radar gun and speed-detecting camera, the nonprofit recorded the speeds of 15,000 cars and trucks across the five boroughs.

It’s believed to be the largest survey of its kind conducted in the city.

The report – to be released today – urges the NYPD to crack down on speeders. It calls on Albany to authorize use of speed cameras, similar to those used on red-light runners.

Michael Needham will never get over the loss of his 10-year-old son, Michael Jr., killed last summer by an allegedly speeding van while riding his bike.

Needham hopes other parents are spared the agony he and his wife, Dornell, experience daily.

“It hurts,” he said of his son’s death. “It’s not something that’s going to go away as far as I’m concerned.”

Needham said police enforcement of traffic rules needs to be increased and then held constant.

“We’re hoping the authorities will do something,” he said. “I don’t want another family to go through what we’re going through now.”

Most of the speeders recorded in the survey were going between 31 and 40 mph.

A pedestrian struck by a car going 30 mph dies 40% of the time. At 40 mph, such crashes are fatal 70% of the time, the report said.

The top speed recorded was 66 mph on Webster Ave. near 195th St. in Bedford Park, the Bronx.

Street fatalities are near historic lows but the death count is still sobering.

On average, about 300 pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and passengers were killed each year over the last five years, statistics from the mayor’s office of operations and the Transportation Department show.

A pedestrian or cyclist is killed just about every other day.

Traffic fatalities have decreased steadily in New York City since 1997 when there were 494 fatalities, compared with 289 last year – a decrease of 42%, said a police spokesman.

The NYPD issued more than 70,000 summonses for speeding last year and it has consistently favored legislation to permit cameras to capture speeders, he added.

“New York City can’t keep looking the other way while speeding takes the lives of children, grandparents and neighbors by the dozens,” Norvell said.

“Speeding contributes to three times as many crashes as drunken driving, and yet Albany has denied New York City the one tool needed to enforce against this crime: speed enforcement cameras.”

You need more green to live in Queens

You need more green to live in Queens

From Your Nabe.com
You need more green to live in Queens
Report by Center for an Urban Future cites boro as fifth-most expensive locale in the United States

By Philip Newman
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 3:59 PM EST

New York City’s notorious cost of living is driving out thousands of the middle class in an exodus fueled not only by the exorbitance of Manhattan but Queens, too.

It turns out that of 315 urban areas in the United States, only Manhattan, San Francisco, Honolulu and San Jose are more expensive then Queens.

In fact, Queens is the fifth most-expensive urban area in the United States.

The Center for an Urban Future, a Manhattan think tank, reported that it takes $85,918 annually for a person to attain middle-class status in Queens, compared with $123,322 in Manhattan. The same lifestyle in Houston would require $50,000.

“Is it really that important to worry about the possible decline of New York’s middle class when the city has added so many well-heeled residents in recent years?” the center asked.

“The middle class are the backbone of the city’s work force — the book editors, Web designers, lab technicians, architects, nurses, paralegals, actors, university professors, carpenters and bus drivers.”

The Rev. Edwin Reed, chief financial officer of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of Jamaica, said “the middle class are the professional people that really make the city run.”

Citywide, a combination of steep housing costs, the highest taxes in the nation and the rising cost of everything from milk to auto insurance has driven thousands of New Yorkers to places like eastern Pennsylvania, the Atlanta suburbs and North Carolina.

Overwhelmingly, it is housing costs that have diminished the middle class throughout the city, with the average monthly rent citywide at $2,801, which is 53 percent higher than in San Francisco, the second most-expensive city, the center found.

Between 1999 and 2007, the median sale price for a single-family home in Queens rose by 147 percent. That was more than in any borough except Manhattan, where the price shot up by 209 percent. The median price went up 131 percent in the Bronx, 145 percent in Brooklyn and 142 percent in Staten Island.

Queens residents are paying heavily for housing. A recent survey reported that 49 percent of residents shell out as much as 48 percent of their income on housing.

As for stagnant wages, the Center for an Urban Future said real weekly wages — those adjusted for inflation — rose by a smaller amount in Queens than in any other borough between 1975 and 2007.

In Queens wages rose by 1.1 percent, compared to 1.7 percent in Brooklyn, 2.5 percent in Staten Island and 8.6 percent in the Bronx. Wages climbed by 96 percent in Manhattan over the same period.

Queens also had a greater percentage of workers in low-wage jobs than any other borough except the Bronx. The report said 34.4 percent of Queens workers over 18 were employed in low-wage jobs, as determined by the U.S. Population Reference Bureau.

Citywide, the percentage of workers in low-wage jobs was 21 percent. In a breakdown by borough, the Bronx was at 42.1 percent, Brooklyn 32.2 percent, Staten Island 22.5 percent and Manhattan 21.6 percent.

But it is not just low wages and exorbitant housing that are making living in the city a trial for the middle class. Nearly everything costs more:

• Auto insurance: The survey obtained rate quotes for a 37-year-old male driving a 2006 Toyota Corolla who had been in no accidents in the previous five years and had an excellent bill payment history. In Queens he would pay $1,250 compared with $450 in Atlanta and $610 in Washington, D.C.

• Milk: One gallon in the city costs $4.08 (the national average is $3.82)

• The city has the nation’s fourth-highest telephone rates

• Day care in the city costs at least $2,000 a month for one child

New Yorkers pay 50 percent more in taxes than people in any other major American city and city taxes are 90 percent higher than in any other U.S. city. The average property tax on a one-, two- or three-family home has gone up 87 percent since 2000.

“Queens has done worse than any other borough in recent years when it comes to people moving out of the city,” said Jonathan Bowles, director of the Center for an Urban Future.

Most of the migration out of Queens and the rest of the city took place in more prosperous times before the economic slump began in late 2007.

“Queens lost 51,177 residents in 2006 vs. 35,788 in 1993,” Bowles said. “Thus, domestic out-migration levels for Queens was a staggering 43 percent higher in 2006 than in 1993.”

Most middle-class residents cannot afford private schools, so many leave the city.

“People like to live where they feel they have access to a good education for their children,” said Cheryl Caddle, chairman of the Education Committee of the Cambria Heights Civic Association. “A lot of people believe the public schools in New York are subpar.”

Tanya Cruz of Community Board 13, which stretches from Glen Oaks to Queens Village, Laurelton and Rosedale said “our educational system is failing.”

The Center for an Urban Future said another factor making New York unattractive is unsatisfactory public transportation.

Many parts of Queens and Brooklyn have the longest commutes in the nation, and conditions en route are not always good.

“On a lot of bus lines, people are packed in there like sardines,” said Yvonne Reddick, district manager of Community Board 12, which represents Jamaica, Hollis and Springfield Gardens.

Olga Djam of Elmhurst said many commutes are too long. “If you’re commuting for an hour and a half, when are you going to spend time with your kids?” she asked.

The center offered recommendations to preserve the city’s middle class:

• develop a strategy to diversify the economy and support the growth of middle-income jobs

• stop neglecting the city’s community colleges (whose graduates earn 38 percent more than high school graduates)

• improve mass transit, particularly outside Manhattan

• increase housing for the middle class

• protect the character of neighborhoods

• rethink efforts to increase revenue from fees and fines, which have a particularly heavy impact on the middle class.

Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 136.

A Tree Once Grew in Queens

Much of Fort Totten’s landscape is now scarred with the remains of what were once large, majestic trees. According to Parks’ Forestry Division, the trees could not be saved. Random observers have described the wood and stumps as appearing to be healthy. In all fairness to Parks, those were not expert opinions.

Everyone seems to be in agreement that the Fort looks bare. Parks is encouraged to replace any trees that became victims of their chain-saw.

The pictures which can be seen by following the link below, require no captions. As you’ll notice, much of the evidence is being pulverized. Also shown is some of the demolition work taking place on the Fort.

Brett Favre will retire from Jets Until He Changes His Mind Again

Newsday.com

Brett Favre will retire from Jets

BY ERIK BOLAND

11:59 AM EST, February 11, 2009

The Jets were hoping for an indication of what Brett Favre would do next season by the NFL Combine, but ended up finding out his plans sooner than that.

ESPN’s Ed Werder reported Wednesday morning that Favre told his agent, Bus Cook, to tell the Jets that he intended to retire. A Jets source confirmed that the call has been made.

In an e-mail to Werder, Favre thanks Jets management, specifically owner Woody Johnson, GM Mike Tannenbuam and fired head coach Eric Mangini. He also mentioned by name two teammates who had been critical of him after the season.

“Mike and Woody, as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding,” Favre said in an e-mail to Werder. “My teammates — Thomas [Jones] and Kerry [Rhodes] included — were a pleasure to play with. Eric could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I’m honored to be given that chance.”

“I had a great conversation with Brett this morning,” Johnson said in a statement. “Considering that he came from a totally different environment and joined our team during training camp, his performance last season was extraordinary. As I spoke with people throughout the organization, they all told me how much they

August 7, 2008 - Jets quarterback Brett Favre holds up his new jersey before Thursday night's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Stadium.

enjoyed working with him. Brett Favre is a Hall-of-Fame player, but he is also a Hall-of-Fame person. Brett, [wife] Deanna and his family will always be a part of the Jets family.”

On Dec. 29, the day Mangini was fired, Rhodes said in the locker room that Favre would be welcome back in 2009, but only if he participated — in full — in the team’s offseason program, which begins in March. Jones, in a radio interview that week, was critical of Favre, though the running back later sought to clarify some of his more incendiary remarks.

The Jets started 8-3 this season but collapsed down the stretch, losing four of their final five games to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. Favre threw 22 TDs this season but also a league-worst 22 INTs. In the final five games, Favre had just two TDs and nine INTs.

Next for the Jets at quarterback?

First and foremost, they shed Favre’s $13 million salary from their cap. The Jets had been over the cap but now have some room to maneuver this offseason. As for next season, the Jets currently have Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge on the roster. But the team has also studied this year’s draft class at the position very closely. New coach Rex Ryan saw first-hand last season in Baltimore that a team can win and make the playoffs with a first-year quarterback. The Ravens, led by a punishing defense and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, made the AFC Championship, losing to eventual Super Bowl winner Pittsburgh.

Favre, of course, retired last season, setting the stage for his rancorous divorce from the Packers that resulted in his Aug. 6 trade to the Jets. The Jets inherited Favre’s three-year contract, which now has two years left on it. Should Favre unretire this offseason, the Jets could find themselves in a similar position the Packers did last offseason.

Queens is Ready to Puck Around

SKATING SOON at a rink near you - the Iron Triangle Islanders?

From the NY Daily News

Could Isles net the Point? Plan pushes Iron Triangle home

BY Nicholas Hirshon
Tuesday, February 10th 2009, 10:45 AM

SKATING SOON at a rink near you – the Iron Triangle Islanders?

The Queens Chamber of Commerce is making a long-shot bid to lure the four-time Stanley Cup champions from Nassau County as part of redevelopment plans for Willets Point, a maze of auto body shops near Citi Field.

The Islanders – who are reportedly mulling a move in case plans fall through to revamp their arena, the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, L.I. – declined to comment on the Willets Point proposal.

Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Jack Friedman noted the Isles’ Coliseum lease expires in 2015, near the anticipated opening of a Willets Point convention center.

“Queens makes sense [for the Islanders] from so many levels because of the airports and its central location,” Friedman said, also noting the area’s proximity to highways and subways.

But Yale University Prof. Charles Euchner, an expert on sports team relocations, mocked Willets Point as a “half-baked” option because it would require too many infrastructure changes.

The Islanders stoked speculation about a move last month by scheduling a preseason game for September in Kansas City, which opened a state-of-the-art arena in 2007 and has been trying ever since to land a National Hockey League franchise.

The Isles are also moving their training camp in Canada from New Brunswick to Saskatoon, a puck-wild city that gunned for the St. Louis Blues in 1983.

Meanwhile, Islanders owner Charles Wang has reportedly grown impatient with Nassau officials for taking years to okay his project to renovate the Coliseum and redevelop the nearby area with shops and restaurants.

A spokesman for the Town of Hempstead board, which must approve Wang’s plans, said its members are “anxious to do everything we can to keep” the Islanders in Uniondale.

But Friedman isn’t alone in asking Wang, a Queens College grad, to consider a change.

Asked about hosting the Isles, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall said she would be “very receptive” while the city announced it’s “open” to letting the team play in a Queens park.

City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said the Isles should relocate to Queens to escape the Coliseum mess while staying near fans in Nassau and Suffolk – a scenario that neither Kansas City nor Saskatoon can offer.

“A hockey team like the Islanders enjoys a strong fan base,” Liu said of the local following the team has built over four decades. “Their enterprise is not like a warehouse you could plunk in the middle of anywhere.”

Even Mets third baseman David Wright was willing to share the borough’s sports scene.

“I’d recommend it,” Wright said of an Isles move. “I would endorse playing in Queens.”

State Senators Introduce Fair Share Tax Reform

Fair Share Tax Reform

From NewsLI.com

State Senators Introduce Fair Share Tax Reform

February 10, 2009

– Initiative Would Raise More than $6 Billion in Revenue to Nearly Halve Budget Shortfall While Reforming New York’s Tax Code to Make it Fairer

(Albany, N.Y.) A group of Democratic Senators today introduced the Fair Share Tax Reform Act of 2009, an initiative that would raise more than $6 billion in new revenue by slightly increasing taxes on the wealthiest 5% of New Yorkers, those making more than $250,000 a year. The reform package would nearly halve New York’s budget deficit while making the tax system fairer, more progressive and in line with neighboring states. Today, New Yorkers who make more than $40,000 a year are subject to the very same marginal tax rate as those who make $400,000 or $40 million.

Over the last 30 years, New York has reduced income tax rates on the wealthiest New Yorkers by more than 50% and eliminated high income tax brackets so that working class families and the very rich pay the same tax rate. Currently, every New Yorker who earns more than $40,000 pays the same marginal tax rate of 6.85%, whether their income is $41,000 a year or $4.1 million. Fair Share Tax Reform would create new income brackets for individuals or families making more than $250,000, $500,000 and $1,000,000 at 8.25%, 8.97%, and 10.30% respectively. These new tax brackets would raise more than $6 billion in new added revenue.

The Fair Share Tax Reform proposal would mean New York State wouldn’t have to make billions in cuts to schools, healthcare, and communities. It could help prevent increases in class sizes, teacher layoffs, hospital and nursing home closings, longer wait times in emergency rooms and deep cuts to hundreds of important programs like housing assistance and homeless shelters.

“The Governor is absolutely right that in these challenging financial times, we all need to share the sacrifice,” said Senator Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan/Bronx). “That’s why it is so important that we ask our State’s wealthiest to contribute their fair share as well. Currently, the richest 1% of New Yorkers pay 6.5% of their total income in state and local taxes while the poorest 20% of New Yorkers pay 12.6% of their income. Fair Share Tax Reform would return fairness to our tax system while cutting our State’s budget deficit in half, eliminating the need to make the most devastating cuts to our communities.”

“It is very irresponsible public policy for an individual who makes $40,000 a year to be subject to the same tax rate as an individual who makes $4,000,000 a year,” added Senator Neil Breslin (D-Albany).

“The Fair Share Tax Reform Act implements a progressive tax structure, making it more equitable for low-income and working families,” said Senator Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo). “Those hardest hit are typically the ones that can least afford it.”

“The tax cuts provided to the wealthiest New Yorkers over the past 30 years are no longer viable during these difficult economic times,” said Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn). “If we don’t take this path and ask high-income New Yorkers to pay their fair share, then we will inevitably be faced with devastating cuts to health care, education and other essential community services. If there was ever a time to consider fairness in our tax code, it is now.”

“This legislation would create a much fairer system of taxation for all New Yorkers,” continued Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens). “There is no reason why someone earning $40,000 a year pays the same marginal tax rate as someone earning $4 million. This bill would correct this inequity.”

Read the complete article………….

Mark Green Announces Candidacy For Public Advocate

From NY1

Democrat Mark Green, the city’s first public advocate, has told NY1 he will once again run for the office.

Green held the position from 1994 to 2001.

He says his experience is necessary during these tough times.

“Given the extraordinary economic crisis, it’s especially urgent that the person who’s the next public advocate,” said Green, “the number two citywide office holder, the investigator of city services, be a person who’s shown that he or she can get results and have innovative ideas, has a track record, and understands how to make New York a cutting edge, 21st century city.”

Mark Green Announces Candidacy For Public Advocate

In 2001, Green was the Democratic nominee for mayor, but lost to Michael Bloomberg. He has also had unsuccessful runs for Congress, Senate, and state attorney general.

Green is also a former member of our NY1 Wise Guys, airing every Tuesday night on the “Road to City Hall.”

Green’s likely Democratic opponents include City Councilmen Bill de Blasio, Eric Gioia, and John Liu, along with civil rights attorney Norman Siegel.

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum is eligible to run for re-election this year. But after strongly opposing the term limits extension- Gotbaum said she would not run for a third term.

World’s Fair map could be in peril

Benepe viewing World's Fair Map

From NY Daily News

The city has let ice blanket a faux-marble road map from the 1964 World’s Fair multiple times this winter instead of dishing out $20,000 to protect the cartographic curiosity, Queens News has learned.

Preservationists fear frost will dislodge or fracture panels on the 9,000-square-foot map in the New York State Pavilion, a crumbling, yet iconic, relic of the fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Even more galling to preservationists is that conservators devised a shelter plan for the map just last year — to bury its panels under fabric, sand and gravel, blocking water and sunlight that feeds crack-widening weeds. But the city still hasn’t carried it out.

The interior of the New York State Pavillion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park where a giant roadmap of New York State from the 1964 Worlds Fair is in danger of cracking due to extreme weather conditions.

“I don’t understand why it’s taking so long,” said Professor Frank Matero, a preservation expert at the University of Pennsylvania, who helped develop the never-implemented program.

John Krawchuk, historic preservation director for the Parks Department, said the city bought enough fabric and some sand for Matero’s plan, but stopped $20,000 short of paying for all the required materials.

He admitted the city has the cash but decided to direct it elsewhere. “We have many needs throughout the entire parks system that are always competing for funds,” he said.

Instead, the city is hoping Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Administrator Estelle Cooper can raise $20,000 through a park-oriented nonprofit she runs, before springtime sun nourishes the weeds, Krawchuk said.

But preservationists wondered how the city undertook a project to remove and restore parts of the 567-panel map in 2007 — through a $40,000 grant and $80,000 in city funds — with little foresight for the rest of the map.

The city’s refusal to foot the $20,000 bill reminded history buffs of how the once-grand pavilion was allowed to deteriorate for four decades after the fair closed in 1965.

“It really shows neglect is a theme with this structure,” said Greg Godfrey, president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park World’s Fair Association.

“If their end result was to preserve [the map], why would you start ripping out parts without having a strategy for the entire?” Godfrey asked.

Contractor Vincent DeLazzero, whose late father, Robert, built the road map while heading Bronx-based Port Morris Tile & Terrazzo, also blasted the city’s disregard for the panels.

“It’s a treasure,” said DeLazzero, adding he would have helped raise $20,000 if the city had contacted him. “There’s never been anything like it.”

Meanwhile, the city is reviewing the results of a $200,000 study on the stability of the pavilion’s Tent of Tomorrow rotunda — the columns and cable-suspension roof that surround the map.

“Demolition is always a possibility,” Krawchuk warned

The Secret Haunting of Crocheron Park

Secret Haunting

Two of the Cafe’s regular customers were overheard having this conversation:

Milhouse: (as he sips his morning coffee) Hey Corn, you know the Halloween event that goes on every year in Fort Totten?

Cornelious: (biting into his bagel) You mean the one where all the vehicles have no place to park and end up driving up and down the streets?

Milhouse: Yea, that’s it. Some of the drivers even block crosswalks and driveways – And don’t forget the people walking all over private property. Someone told me that up to 3,000 visitors come to the park for the Halloween thing. Well anyway, listen to this: I heard that due to some kind of construction in the Little Bay parking lot, this year’s event is being moved to Crocheron Park.

Cornelious: Wow! That can’t make the East Bayside Homeowners Association (EBHA) very happy. Crocheron is right in their backyard. I wonder if they even know about it. Those residents are going to have a sh*t fit. Why would parks want to mess with that organization and their president?

Milhouse: I’m sure that both the EBHA and Community Board 11 were notified. Parks believes in total transparency and would never do anything underhanded. While we’re on the subject, do you feel this Benepe has been doing a good job?

Cornelious: Well, it is the Department of Parks & Recreation and I think Benepe has been a decent Recreation Commissioner. Did you see the waiter? I could use some more coffee………

The Nanny (Fran Drescher) for New York Senator

From U.S. News & World Report

The Nanny (Fran Drescher) for New York Senator
February 06, 2009 04:50 PM ET

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Fran Drescher seems to have a thing for jobs that last six years. First it was The Nanny, the sitcom that ran from 1993 to 1999 and, through reruns, continues to win her fame and fortune. And if the Queens cackler gets her way, her next job could also come with a six-year term: Senator from New York. While she lost out to former Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand for the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, President Obama’s new secretary of state, the Nanny tells Whispers that she isn’t giving up her goal. “It is something that I am very seriously contemplating.”

Cancer Schmancer

Gillibrand is formidable. She’s a good fundraiser, and her moderate politics makes her an upstate fave for the 2010 special election. But Drescher isn’t worried. “I could set up very quickly if I throw my hat in the ring,” she says. “I feel like I can generate an interesting, and even a crossover, mix of people who would come to my support.” She received encouragement from Democratic lawmakers and donors as recently as Obama’s inauguration, when she was the house guest of Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Her pals have advised that she can hold off announcing. “I may have a little bit of time,” she tells us, “because of my celebrity component and ability to raise large amounts of money more easily.” And her New York-ness, notably her nasally laugh, is a plus, she says. “I get New York.” In the meantime, the cancer survivor who started the Cancer Schmancer Movement to urge women to be tested for cancer has been asked by the Obama team to stay on as an international women’s healthcare envoy, a position she held under George W. Bush.

Queens GOP Got Screwed by Mike

The Queens Republican Party has finally realized they were screwed by Mike. Maybe this time they’ll have enough backbone to let Bloomberg know he’s not welcome in the GOP.

It's Time to Fix the Elephant

From the NY Post

OLD PALS STILL GOP’D OFF AT MIKE

By SALLY GOLDENBERG

Last updated: 2:22 am
February 9, 2009
Posted: 1:50 am
February 9, 2009

Mayor Bloomberg’s on-and-off courtship of Republicans was on again yesterday, but they were not returning the love.

He greeted winning essayists at an Abraham Lincoln bicentennial dinner sponsored by the Queens Village Republican Club, but got a tepid response from members still stung by his 2007 defection from the party.

“He has a lot of issues that he has to address,” said Queens Republican Party Chairman Phil Ragusa. “And I don’t think the regular Republicans are ready to endorse.”

Bloomberg was a lifelong Democrat before running for mayor twice as a Republican, then becoming an independent.

Republicans are also unhappy over his decision to raise property taxes and to trash term limits in pursuit of four more years in City Hall.

Club members grumbled about his appearance days before the event.

“You can’t disinvite a mayor,” read one e-mail. “Anyway, he’s coming only for the nonpartisan essay-contest portion and then leaving, thank God.

He’ll get the message that he’s not welcome.”

WINTER OF DISCONTENT LINDSAY’S SNOWSTORM, 1969

From NY Daily News

40 years ago, snow caught Queens – and Lindsay – by surprise

BY Owen Moritz
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, February 9th 2009, 3:45 AM
Mayor John Lindsay touring Queens after the Blizzard of ’69. AP

Mayor John Lindsay touring Queens after the Blizzard of ’69.

The forecast was for flurries.

Just one day later, as New Yorkers dug out from 20 inches of snow, the reality set in: dozens killed, the borough of Queens crippled, the mayor buried beneath a blizzard of insults.

WINTER OF DISCONTENT LINDSAY'S SNOWSTORM, 1969

Forty years ago this week, New York City was pounded by the storm that nobody expected: 15 inches in Central Park and 5 more at Kennedy Airport, one of the worst on record.

Television meteorologists predicted only a chance of snow before the flakes began falling Feb. 9, 1969.

Instead, a ferocious storm blew in. Schools closed for three days, mail service disappeared and Queens was cut off from the other boroughs.

Forty-two people died, half of them in Queens. The snowstorm quickly became a political firestorm, with angry New Yorkers hurling insults like snowballs at beleaguered Mayor John Lindsay.

In Kew Gardens, Queens, the mayor was booed after exiting a city truck.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” a woman yelled. “It’s disgusting.”

In Fresh Meadows, a woman called the mayor a bum. On Horace Harding Blvd., Lindsay entered a pharmacy to call City Hall. When he exited, 200 people taunted him with a Queens version of the Bronx cheer. Lindsay listened, ordering “all available manpower and apparatus” sent to the borough for snow removal. And later that winter, at the slightest forecast of snow, crews were called out on overtime.

The storm exposed the sorry state of the city’s snow-fighting equipment.

For decades later, residents still remember the wicked winter blast.

“We tried walking up a hill on Henley Road and you couldn’t walk,” Tony Buflione, 87, of Jamaica recalled this week. “You walked up 10 feet and fell back 20 feet.”

Related Daily News Article published in 1998…………

Price of Cigarettes Going Up in NYC

It’s going to cost more to destroy your health.

From MyFoxNY

Price of Cigarettes Going Up in NYC

Last Edited: Sunday, 08 Feb 2009, 5:06 PM EST
Created On: Sunday, 08 Feb 2009, 4:57 PM EST

NEW YORK – What a drag! A pack of cigarettes will soon cost more than $10 in Manhattan.

Costing More to Destroy Your Health

That’s because a 62 cent federal tax on cigarettes will take effect this week.

This means the cost of a pack of smokes in New York City will be the highest in the country.